Metal slide support for table drop leaf



Jan. 17, 1956 w. A. DUNCAN METAL sum: SUPPORT FOR TABLE DROP LEAF Filed July 15, 1954 INVENTOR.

WILL/AM A. DUNCAN BY @Jt a %O4Wa ATTORNEYJ United States Patent" Homes Metal Works, Inn, acorporation of North Carolina Application July 15, 1954, Serial No. 443,579

4 Claims. (Cl. 311---61) This invention relates generally to drop leaf table constructions of the type in'which one or more drop leaves are hinged at the edge ofa main table surface member, and more particularly to' an improved means for supporting such drop leavesin raised position when desired.

In my-copending-application Serial No. 434,506, filed June 4, 1954, now U. S. Patent No. 2,685,488, issued August 3, 1954, asimilar supporting means is disclosed that operates in relation toa contact plate on the under side" of the'dropleaf to provide forwe'dging the drop leaf toa leveldisposition when it is supported in raised position According to the present invention provision is made for wedging the drop leaf level by operation of the sup porting means itself as it is extended in supporting relation, so that the supporting means may be arranged as an 1 entirely self-contained unit; as described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the arrangement of a drop leaf table top with a drop leaf thereon in lowered position and with supporting means therefor installed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2. is a bottom plan view of the drop leaf supporting means shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a further fragmentary side elevation showing the table drop leaf illustrated in Fig. I raised with the sup porting means extended thereunder;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 44 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section detail of the supporting means of the present invention in extended position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the table drop leaf supporting means of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, and Fig. 1 shows the supporting means installed by attaching screws 12 at the underside or bottom face of a main table surface 14 adjacent a drop leaf 16 associated therewith by hinges 18.

The supporting means 10 comprises a bracket member 20 having flanges 22 formed with suitable apertures for engagement by the above noted attaching screws 12, and having an intermediate channel-shaped portion 24 in which a slide member 26 is slidably assembled in telescoped relation. When the bracket member 20 is in stalled, the channel-shaped portion 24 thereof forms an inverted rectangular channel (see Fig. 4), and the slide member 26 is of corresponding rectangular cross section, although of lesser height for a purpose that will be explained further presently, with a longitudinal slot 28 arranged in one side face to clear an abutment lug 30 slit inwardly from the adjacent side face of the bracket member 20 for disposition in the path of an abutment ear 32 slit inwardly from the opposite side face of the slide member 26 so as to form means for limiting the extension of the slide member 26 at a desired length.

The extending end of the slide member 26 is fitted with 2,731,317 Patented Jan. 17, 1956.

a manipulating loop element 34 having the legs thereof disposed at the inner top and bottom slide member faces and fixed in place by clinching the adjacent edges of the longitudinal slot 28 thereover as at 36 (see Fig. 3). The remainingportion of the loop element- 34 is strap-like in form and of greater width than the slide member 26 so as to serve as means for limiting the retraction ofthe slide member 26 at an accessible position (see Fig. 2).

In addition, the supporting means 10 is further characterized by an inwardly formed transverse ridge 38 in the bottom face of the bracket member 20 spaced adjacent the forward endthereof, and firstand second outwardly formed longitudinal bosses 40 and 42 in the bottom face of the slide member 26. It would bepossible to arrange the supporting means 10 for operation according to the present invention with only the first of these bosses ll), but substantially smoother operation is obtained when both bosses 40 and 42 are provided.

The first boss 40 is spaced for riding the transverse bracket member ridge 38' when the slide member 26 is at fully extended position, and the second boss 42 is spaced rearwardly of the first boss 40 at a distance less than the spacing. ofthe transverse ridge 38 from the rear end of the bracket member 20, both bosses 4i) and 42 being gradually inclined at the forward ends thereof for riding, respectively, onto the transverse ridge 38 and over the rear bottom face edge of the bracket member 20. The transverse ridge 38 and first boss 46 are formed to be substantially equal in height and to have a total height substantially equal to the difference in height of the bracket member 20 and slide member 26; and the second boss 42 is formed to have a height substantially twice that of the first boss 40.

By this arrangement the slide member 26 is caused to rise in the bracket member 20 as it reaches fully extended position and assumes a flush disposition at the top of bracket member 20. This rise is effected first as the second boss 42 rides over tlie rear bottom face edge of the bracket member 20 and then as the first boss 40 rides onto the transverse ridge 38, so that the extending end of the slide member 26 is given a delayed upwardly swinging motion as the rise takes place, which motion serves to apply the rising slide member 26 to the best advantage against the bottom face of the drop leaf 16 to wedge it properly at a level disposition in extending the supporting means 10 to hold the drop leaf in raised position.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A supporting means for a table drop leaf, said means comprising a bracket member attachable in the form of an inverted channel to the underside of a main table surface adjacent a drop leaf hinged thereon, and a slide member supported within the channel formed by said bracket member for extension therefrom. in supporting relation beneath said drop leaf when raised, said slide member and bracket member having cooperating abutment elements thereon limiting the extension of said slide member at a desired length beneath said drop leaf, said bracket member having an inwardly formed transverse ridge in its bottom face spaced adjacent the forward end thereof, and said slide member being of less height than that of the channel formed by said bracket member and having an outwardly formed longitudinal boss in its bottom face shaped with a substantial lengthwise portion of uniform height spaced from the rear slide member end for riding said bracket member ridge and thereby raising said slide member when fully extended from said bracket member to support said drop leaf at a level disposition.

2. A supporting means for a table drop leaf as defined in claim land further characterized in that a second outwardly formed longitudinal boss having a substantial lengthwise portion of uniform height is spaced in the bottom face of said slide member rearwardly of said first mentioned longitudinal boss at a distance less than the spacing of said transverse ridge from the rear end of said bracket member, the height of said second boss is substantially equal to the difference in height of said bracket member and slide member, and the total height of said transverse ridge and first mentioned longitudinal boss is substantially equal to the height of said second boss.

3. A supporting means for a table drop leaf as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that both of said first mentioned and second longitudinal bosses are gradually inclined at the forward ends thereof to said lengthwise portions of uniform height for riding, respectively, onto said transverse ridge and over the rear bottom face edge of said bracket member. s

4. A supporting means for a table drop leaf, said means being formed of metal and comprising a bracket member attachable in the form of an inverted rectangular channel to the underside of a main table surface adjacent a drop leaf hinged thereon, a slide member of corresponding rectangular cross section supported in telescoping relation by said bracket for extension therefrom in supporting relation beneath said drop leaf when raised, means for limiting the extension of said slide member at a desired length beneath said drop leaf, and means for limiting the retraction of said slide member at an accessible position beneath said main table surface, said a 4 bracket member having an inwardly formed transverse ridge in its bottom face spaced adjacent the forward end thereof, and said slide member being of less height than that of the channel form of said bracket member and having first and second outwardly formed longitudinal bosses in the bottom face thereof, both of said bosses having substantial lengthwise portions of uniform height, the first of said bosses being spaced for riding said transverse ridge at said portion of uniform height when said slide member is fully extended and the second boss being spaced rearwardly of the first boss at a distance less than the spacing of said transverse ridge from the rear end of said bracket member, the height of said first boss and said transverse ridge being substantially equal and having a total height substantially equal to the diiference in height of said bracket member and slide member, and the height of said second boss being substantially twice that of said first boss.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 949,119 Gruender Feb. 15, 1910 1,651,825 Luppert 2. Dec. 6, 1927 2,035,565 Normand Mar. 31, 1936 2,210,220 Soisson Aug. 6, 1940 2,463,911 Sacks Mar. 8, 1949 2,652,300 Graber et al Sept. 15, 1953 2,676,858 Duncan Apr. 27, 1954 2,685,488 Duncan Aug. 3, 1954 

